Alternating-current rectifier.



D. M. BLISS. ALTEIRNATING CURRENT RECTIFIER.

APPLICATIONFILED AUG.21, 1911.

1,204,395. Patented Nov. 11, 1916.

1 Agata 1 614 W MA UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD M. BLESS, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASS IGNOR TO THOMAS A. EDISON, INOOR-EORATED, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ALTERNATING-CURRENT RECTIFIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

Application filed August 21, 1911. Serial No. 645,164.

To all whom it may'concern Be it known that-I, DONALD M. 'BLIss, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and

a resident of West Orange, in the county of Essex and State-of New Jersey, have inmanner and operating without injurious sparking.

My present invention comprises an improvement .on the invention described in the aforesaid application and consists in simple and efiicie'ntmeans for utilizing both half waves of the alternating current, and in the combinations anddetails of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters are used to designate like parts throughout the several views, Figure l'isa diagrammatic view showing one embodiment of my invention at one stage in its operation, Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic, view of the same at a later stage of operation, and Fig. 3 shows a modified arrangement. I

Rererring to the drawings, alternating current mainsare shown at 1 and 2, and are fed from any convenient source with alternating current to be rectified. Myimproved rectifying system includes rectifying devices 3 and 4 having members which are driven in synchronism with the current to be rectified by any suitable means, as, for example, the synchronous motor 5 connected to the alternating current mains'l' and 2 by the conductors 6 and 7. In the particular arrangement illustrated the motor 5 is a four pole motor. The rectifying devices may be connected to supply unidirectional current to any direct work circuit, as for example, the circuit containing the battery 8. The adjustable inductance coils 9 and 10 are inserted in the direct current work circuit for the purpose of smoothing out the rectified current, and also for controlling the phase relations of the current impulses relative to the electro-motive force. The rectifying device 3 includes a switch member or commutator rotatably mounted and having active or conductive segments 11 and 12 connected by a conductor 13. The rectifying device 4 is ofsimilarconstruction and includes active. or conductive segments 14 and 15 connected by a conductor 16. The rectifying device 3 is provided with brushes 1?, 18, 19, and 20, which, in the arrangement'illustrated, are symmetrically disposed.

around the axis of rotation of the device, that is to say, they are 90 degrees apart. The rectifying device 4 is provided with a similar set of brushes 21, 22, 23, and 24 similarly arranged but in the reverse direction around the axis of rotation of the rectifying device 4. The brushes 17 and 18' are connected together and to the alternating.

current main 2 by the conductor 25. The brushes 2l and 22 of the device 4 are connected together and to the main lby the conductor 26. The brush 20 of the device 3 and the brush 23 of the device 4 are connected to one terminal of the direct current work circuit by the conductors 27 and28 respectively. 'The brush 19 of the device 3 and the brush 24 of the device 4 are connected to the other terminal of the direct .current work circuit by the conductors 29 and 30 respectively. Therotatable switch members or commutators,-as stated before, are rotated in SyIIClIIOIIISIII- with the current to be rectified, while the brushes remain stationary. This may be accomplished by mounting said switch members on the same shaft as the armature of'the motor, or in any other suitable manner.

.Fig. 1 shows the relative position of'the various parts of the apparatus corresponding to the crest of the half wave of the alternating current to be rectified, and at .tor 26 back to the alternating current main 1.

Fig. 2 shows .the relative position of the parts'of the apparatus at an instant one half wave later. At this time the flow of current is; through the following circuit:

from the alternating current main 1,-through *the comlu'ctoi-QU, brush 22, activesegment 15. colii'iecting-conductor.16. tactive segment r "the direct current circuit containing the batlll brush 2+. conductor 30. inductance 9, battery 5, inductance 10, conductorQT, brush 20,,active segment 12. connecting conductor 13, active'segment 11, brush 18, and conductor 25 back to the alternating currentmain 2. For other positions of the rotating parts, the circuits may be easily tracedrv In the ar 'angement illustrated, both half waves of alternating current are conducted in the same direction'through the direct current work circuit containing the battery 8.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a modified arrangement of my improved rectifying system in which four rectifying devices 50, 5.1,

53, are employed. Therotatable device 50 comprises a rotatable switch member or commutator having active segments 57 and 59 connected by the conductor 58. The rectitying devices 51. and are'ot' similar construction and include active segments 0 and "(12 connected by (fOXKllKtOl (31, active segments 66 and (38 connected by conductor 37, and active segments (31:; and (35 connected by conductor (34, respectively. The rotatable switch members are rotated in synchronism with the alternating cur-rent to be rectified and may all be mounted upon a single shaft. but in order to secure greater compactness, may be arranged as illustrated in Fig. 3. In this arrangement. the said switch members of the devices 50 and 5?) are mounted upon the shaft of a gear wheel 54, and those of the devices 51 and 52 are mounted upon the shaft of a gear wheel The gear wheels 5% and are driven by gear wheel 56 mounted on the shaft of the armature of the motor The rectifying device 50 is provided withbrushes 69, 70, T1 and 72 symmetrically disposed around the axis of rotation of the device, that is to say, ninety degrees apart. The rectifying device is provided with a similar set of brushes S3, 84;, 85 and S6, similarlyarranged, but in the reverse direction around the axis of rotation. The rectifying device 51- is provided with brushes 7 5, '76, 77 and 71* symmetrically disposed around the axis of rotation of the device, thatis tosay, ninety degrees apart. The rectifying device is provided with asimilar set of brushes T9, 80, S1 and-82 similarly-arranged, but in the reverse direction around the aXis of rotation. The brushes (i9 and 70 of the device 50 are connected together and tothe alternating current main 2 by the conductor 90. The brushes 83 and S of the device are connected together and to the main 1 by the conductor 91. The brushes -71 and 72 of the device 50 and the brushes 75 and 7 6 of the device 51 are connected together by the conductor 92. The brushes S5 and 86 of the'device 53and the brushes 7!.) and of the device 52 are con nected together by the conductor The brush 78 ot' the device 51 and the brush 6S otthe device 52 are coni'iected to one end of ter 8 by the conductors 9st and 95 respectively. The brush 77 of the device 51 and the brush 82 of the device are connected to the other end of the direct current circuit containing the battery 8 by the con ductors 9(3 and 97 respectively.

In Fig. I, the relative position of the various parts of the apparatus is that corresponding to the crest of the half wave of the alternating current to be rectified, and at this instant. the circuit may be traced as fol lows :from the alternating current main 2, through the conductor 90. brush 69, active segment 5LT, connecting conductor 58, active segment 59. brush T1, conductor 92, brush 75; active segment 60, connecting conductor (51, active segment (32, brush 7'7, conductor 96, variable inductance 9, battery S,'varia-ble inductance 1U. conductor 9?). brush 81, active segment (38. connecting conductor 67, active segment no. brush T9, conductor 93, brush 85, active segment- (35. connecting conductor 64, active segment (3 brush 3, conductor 91, back to the alternating current main 1. One half wave later. the flow of current is through the following circuit :t'rom the alternating current main 1, through conductor 91, brush Hl. active segment 5. connecting conductor H, active segment (33, brush 86, conductor 93,

brush 80, active segment (38, connecting conductor 7, active segment 66, brush 82, conuuctor 9?. variable inductance 9, battery 8, variable inductance 10, conductor 9%, brush 78. active segment 62, connecting conductor (31, active segment 60, brush 76, conductor 92. brush 72. active segment 59, connecting conductor 58, active segment- 5-'(', brush 70, and conductor 90, back to the alternating current main 2. For other positions of the rotating parts, the circuits may be easily traced, and it will be seen that both haltv waves of alternating current are conducted in the same direction through the direct cur rent work circuit containing the battery 8.

In my improved rectifying system. the circuit is broken at a number of points simultaneously, thereby reducing the tendency to spark. For example, in the arrangement in Figs. 1 and 2-, each time an active segment leaves a brush, the circuit is broken at four points, and in the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, each time an active segment leaves a brush, the circuit is broken at eight points. Obviously, a larger number of rectit'ying devices may be employed and a greater numberof simultaneous breaks proacross or to form an arc between brushes of opposite polarity, and also atiords a wide break between the active segment and the brush which it is leaving, thereby preventing the continuance of an are between these of active segments of difierent potentials insteadof having such segments separated by narrow insulating spaces as was common prior to the invention of the rectifying systems disclosed in this and my prior application hereinbefore mentioned.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. In an alternating current rectifying system, a plurality of switch members, a separate set of brushes for each switch member, means for producing relative movement of each switch member and its set of brushes, and means for connecting through all of said switch members half of the brushes of each set in series during one portion of said relative movement and the other half of the brushes of each set in series during another portion. of said relative movement, substantially as described.

2. In an alternating current rectifying system, alternating current mains, a direct current translating device, a plurality of sets of brushes, and means including connections and a switch member for each set of brushes for connecting through all of said switch members half the brushes of each set in series with the said mains and direct current translating device during one half wave of alternating current and the other half of the brushes of each. set in series with the said mains and direct current translating device during the other half wave of alternating current, substantially as described.

3. In alternating current rectifying apparatus, a plurality of rotatably mounted and spaced apart switch members, each comprising a pair of oppositely disposed conducting segments electrically connected together, a separate set of brushes for each of said switch members, each of said sets comprising four brushes symmetrically disposed around the axis of its switch member and in cooperative relation to said switch member, and means for rotating each of said switch members relatively to its set of brushes in synchronisni with the current to be rectified, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 18th day of August, 1911.

DONALD M. BLISS.

lVitnesses:

HENRY LANAHAN, ANNA R. KLnHai'.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

